Takedown

On a beautifully carved piece of wood was the motto of the Anglican missionaries. It seemed strangely fitting for the career Harvath had decided to remain in:TRANSIENS ADIUVA NOS-I go overseas to give help.

At that moment, Harvath knew he was home. What’s more, he didn’t need Emily Post to tell him that turning down a gift, any gift, from the President of the United States was not only impolite, but also a very bad career decision for a federal employee.

Though he still had reservations about accepting such a lavish reward, Bishop’s Gate had taken hold of Harvath, and it seemed a shame to allow it to go uninhabited for another day.

With the help of a few buddies, including Kevin McCauliff, Harvath rented a truck and spent that following Saturday moving his belongings from his small apartment in Alexandria over to Bishop’s Gate.

While his friends marveled at his luck, they were unanimous in their agreement that Harvath had a lot of work to do on the place. His pal Gordon Avigliano even joked that it looked to him that the Navy had actually gotten the better part of the deal. Not only did they now have a free night watchman in Harvath, but the sap was also paying them for the privilege. It didn’t matter that it was only a dollar a year. Nobody believed Harvath anyway.

Once the last of the beer had been consumed and all but the pizza boxes had been eaten, Harvath politely gave his friends five minutes to vacate his new estate before he threatened to release the hounds. It got a good laugh, and as he let them go, he secured promises that they’d be back to help him with the renovation work. There was a lot that needed to be done.

After a quick shower, he pulled on jeans and a Polo shirt, then hopped into his car for the airport. On a lark, he had decided to call Tracy Hastings to see if she wanted to come down and spend some time with him at his new place.

Hastings was thrilled and had booked one of the last seats on the shuttle for that night. They picked up takeout from A La Lucia in Alexandria and had a wonderful di

The next morning, Tracy allowed Harvath to sleep in. He was exhausted from his last assignment, as well as the move, and was still recovering from the injuries he had suffered in New York. In all fairness, she hadn’t exactly gone easy on him either. Damn, they were good together.

With a smile on her face and a cup of coffee in her hand, Tracy opened the door and stepped outside. It was a gorgeous summer morning, and she took in a deep breath and tried to pinpoint the wonderful smells that seemed to be coming at her from all directions. She was worlds away from Manhattan, and being here with Scot was like nothing she had ever known. If their lives would let them, she could stay here forever and never leave.

As she bent down to pick one of the flowers growing wild alongside the rectory she noticed that someone had dropped off a beautiful wicker hamper. A large satin ribbon was tied to the top and she could hear rustling coming from inside.

Lifting the hamper’s lid, Tracy discovered a beautiful white puppy. Along with it was a book on Caucasian Ovcharkas and a note. Picking up the puppy and holding it to her chest, she read the crisp white card. Thank you for saving Argus. I will forever be in your debt. A friend.

Tracy had no idea who the note had come from, but she figured Scot might. Either way, he was absolutely going to love this dog. She just knew it. It was time that both of their lives started being filled with things that were good.

Nuzzling the puppy under her chin, Tracy Hastings turned to go back inside, but before she could cross the threshold, a bullet with her name on it came ripping through the trees.

As the weapon was disassembled, the assassin from Scot’s past took a perverse pride in knowing that this was only the begi

Author’s Note

I make no secret about the deep respect I hold for the brave American men and women who selflessly serve our nation in our military, law enforcement, and intelligence communities. As someone who wanted to do more than just write about these extraordinary people, I became involved with several different organizations that strive to serve them and their families. I strongly urge you to visit my Web site for a list of these organizations, but I want to single out one in particular here.

At a fundraiser for the Naval Special Warfare Foundation last summer, it was a

While I did not have the pleasure of knowing Marine Sergeant Bradley J.Harper, I hope in some small part the character I have created in his name lives up to the high standards I know he set for himself as an American, a member of the Virginia Beach Police Department, and as a United States Marine.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I have to thank my beautiful wife, Trish, for keeping the world at bay while I wrote this book. The last year has been incredibly busy for us both, and I could not have done any of it without you. You are the love of my life and I know no greater honor than being your husband and the father of our two wonderful children.

The next person I have to thank is my dear friend and lead sharpshooter, Scott F. Hill, PhD. The only thing more valuable to me than your advice and guidance is your friendship. Thank you for all of your help and all of the airline miles you logged working with me on this novel. Clear some space in your game room, your reward is coming.

Having relocated overseas in service to his country, my good pal Chad Norberg discovered he could be just as big a thorn in my side via e-mail as when we were both living in Utah. Though I miss being able to discuss plot points over a beer at Fiddler’s Elbow, his advice via the Internet was no less creative, resourceful, or vital than on projects past. Thanks, buddy.

Rodney Cox is my newest sharpshooter, and I couldn’t have met him at a more perfect time. Not only is Rodney a lot of fun to hang out with, his real-life experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan proved invaluable in the writing of this book. Rodney has become a very good friend of mine, and a lot of Takedown couldn’t have been written without his help. Thanks, RC.

Two other people who are a lot of fun to hang out with are old friends of mine and have been helping with my novels since the begi

Once again, I was expertly led through the wilds of American politics by my two good friends and Washington insiders Pat Doak and David Ve